Stephen Hawking Gets Superhero Treatment in New Comic

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Living legend Stephen Hawking has already achieved superhero
status in the eyes of many science geeks, and now his ideas are
being honored in comic book form.

" Stephen
Hawking : Riddles of Time & Space" (Bluewater) details the
life story of the physicist, from his early days at Cambridge and
struggles with a body-wrecking disease to his academic
achievements and current fame.

Hawking, 71, is widely considered one of the greatest scientific
minds since
Albert Einstein, and he has greatly enriched our
understanding of the universe over the past several decades. His
work with fellow cosmologist Roger Penrose helped unite
Einstein's general theory of relativity and quantum theory.
Hawking also studied black holes, with a groundbreaking theory
that the cosmic monsters do actually emit a faint glimmer of
radiation. [ The
10 Best Time-Traveling Heroes of All Time ]

But his life has been marked by physical challenges. At age 21,
Hawking was diagnosed with the motor neuron disease called
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's
disease. The disease eventually robbed him of his mobility and
later his ability to speak; today, Hawking uses a
speech-generating device controlled by the muscles in his cheek.

"The very concept of making an engaging comic book where the
protagonist is essentially immobile is a pretty tall order, but I
think the key to us keeping it exciting was being able to get
inside his mind (one of the greatest of our time) and show some
of his most abstract concepts in a visual and dynamic way,"
artist Zach Bassett said in a statement.

One page detailing Hawking's ideas about black holes puts the
scientist into conversation with Einstein,
picturing him as Michelangelo's Adam reaching out to Einstein as
God.

"Additionally, we got several chances to tip our hat to many
famous artistic icons of pop culture, as well as famous people
that he's met, taken inspiration from or even inspired himself,"
Bassett added. Hawking has been featured on "Star Trek: The Next
Generation," "The Simpsons," "Futurama" and "The Big Bang
Theory."

"The most surprising thing about Stephen Hawking is his razor
wire wit that is sometimes withering and other times matched with
a puckish sense of humor," the comic book's writers, Michael Lent
and Brian McCarthy, said in a statement.

The scientist is indeed prone to pithy comments. Lent and
McCarthy said their favorite Hawking
quote is: "I have noticed that even people who claim everything
is predetermined and that we can do nothing to change it, look
before they cross the road."

The comic was released on April 21 and is also available as an
e-book.